Moving-picture machine.



Patented 0011 11913;

4 SHEETSSHEET l.

I Attorneys.

. a m l 15 Ema Mn 1 nm f 1 P 0mm Mn N Mn 0 A Wi n esses 0. P. M. DAVIS.

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE APPLIOATIQN FILED APR. 5, 1911..

I. Patented Oct. 14,1913.

4 sums-$15331? 2 Attdr'neys.

lnventof,

0. P. M. DAVIS. .MOVING PICTURE MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED APR.5, 1911.

Patented Oct. 14, 1.913.

4 SHEETS-SHBET 3.

I lgylnventor,

Attorneys.

"w I w J al /g2 5 9 6 Witnesses 0. P. M. DAVIS.

MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR .5, 1911.

1,075,407. Patented 001114, 19 13;

if if O0 OO O J4 a; J7 I 62 Attorneys.

I ducing undesirablevibration thereof.

dmvnn r. DAVIS, or BEDEORD, INDIANA.

' IVIOVING-PICTURE MACHINE.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

. Patented Oct. 14,1913.

- Application filed April 5, 1911. Serial No. 619,127.

To all echo m, it may concern Be it known that I, OLIVER P. M. DAVIS,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Bedford, in the county of Lawrence and State of Indiana, have invented anew and useful Moving-Picture Machine, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relatesto machines of that type commonly known as moving picture machines, and has for its object the provision of a machine ofthis type designed to be bodily adjusted vertically with relation to its supporting and guiding frame for the purpose of properly framing or presenting the picture film at the exposure opening or window.

A further object is to provide a machine which is practically freeof vibration, thus eliminating the flickering of the projected picture and which is ordinarily due, to a great extent, to this cause.

Another object is to provide improved means for positively holding against vibra-v tion that portion of the film supported back of the exposure opening, said means including devices for positively holding the film in engagement with the'upper andlower film sprockets and resilient'jaws for gripping the edge portions of that part of'the film located between said sprockets.

- Another object is to provide feeding means of'novel form whereby the film can be moved backward and forward with equal facility within the machine whenever desired and without danger to the film or pro- A further object is to provide, a film the tight-portion'of which is supported upon simultaneously revoluble sprockets, the two sprockets being movable in unison by means of ower transmitting mechanism provided for that purpose.

A further object is to provide means whereby films of different thicknesses may be used upon the same sprockets without danger of vibrating.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the'description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of whatis claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

elevationof the machine. Fig. 2 is aside elevation thereof, a portion of the lens tube In said drawings :-Figure 1 is a front being broken away. Fig. 3 is a vertical sec?" 1 t1on through the machine, said section being 1 taken from front to rear. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation of the shiftable portion, of the mechanism, the back of the machine being removed. Fig. '5 is an. elevation of the door of the machine. -Fig. 6 is a similar view thereof showing the inner surface of the door. Fig. 7 is a section onlinc 7,7 Fig. 3.

teferring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates a base which may be fastened, in any preferred manner, as by means of screws 2, to a table or other supporting structure. .Front and back guide and supporting frames 8 and 4 extend. upwardly from the base, these frames being suitably connected at-their upper ends, as indicated at 5. The frame 4 is open while the front tframe carries a front plate or panel 6 having an exposure opening 7 vsurrounded by a forwardly. extending guide sleeve 8 in which the lens tube 9 is mounted for sliding movement. g P

A housing 2 is. secured to and extends backwardly from the plate 6 and extends around the opening 7, the back end of this housing being formed with a window .25 located directly back of the. tube 9. A longitudinally extending slot 26- is formed in the lower portion of the panel 6 at one side of the longitudinal center thereof and is for the purpose hereinafter set forth.

Longitudinally extending slots 27 are formed within the side portions of the frame 3 and receiving attaching screws 28 which are slidably mounted within the slots and engage the main plates 29 and 30 of the shiftable structure of the machine. A supplemental plate 31 is connected to the plate 29 in any suitable manner, as by means of tie strips 82 and a main drive shaft 33 is "gearbeing' a combined: spur gear and bevel frictlon rollers 62.

gear, indicated respectively at 39 and 40. A counter shaft 40 is ournaled in the plates 29 and 31 and also in an intermediate plate 41 connected to the plate 29, as by means of strips 42. .This shaft 40 has a small gear 43 secured to it and meshing with the gear do not constitute any part of the present invention but have been fully disclosed in Patent No. 959,119, issued to me on May 24, 1910. As shown in Fig. 4 the plate 30. is recessed, as at 52, to receive the parts 48 and 49, the inner or open face of the recess being normally closed by means of a plate 53.

A shaft 54 is journaled in the plates 30. 41 and 29 at points abov'e th'e window 25 and has film sprockets 55 secured to it and in vertical alinement with 'the corresponding sprockets 51. Sprockets 56 are secured to the two shafts 5O and 54 and an endless chain 57 is mounted thereon and extends past the window 25 at one side thereof, this chain and the sprockets 56 constituting means for insuring the rotation of the two sets of sprockets 51 and 55 in unison and in the same direction.

A backing plate 58 is connected, as by means of strips 59, to the plate 41 and is arranged directly back of the housing 24, this plate 58 having an elongated opening 60 therein of a width equal to or greater than the width of the window 25. The ends of the plate 58 are curved away from the plate 6 and project between the sprockets 51 and 55. Secured to the sides of housing 24 and lapping opposite sides of the plate 58 are outstanding guide plates, 61 the ends of which are inclined in the. direction of the plate 58, and each of these guide plates 61 being provided, adjacent its ends, with antidistance between the two ribs 63 is equal to the width of a film to be usedonthe ma- It will be apparent, from the fore chine. going, that the guide strips 61 and'the antifriction rollers '62 carried thereby, remain fixed relative to the housing 24 whereas the backing plate 58 is free to slidevertically between the strips 61 and the housing.

A shaft 64 is journaled in the upper portions of the plates 29 and 41-and has a tapered end, as shown at 65 said end being -journaled within a bearing screw 66 adjustably mounted within the plate 80. This Guide ribs 63 extend along the outer sides of the strips 61 and the:

shaft carries film feeding sprockets 67 disposed in the same'plane with the corresponding sprockets 55 and 51 and one end of the shaft 64 has a gear 68 meshing with a gear 69. This last mentioned gear is secured to a vertical shaft 70 j ournaled within the supplemental plate 31 and having 'a gear 71 at its lower, end which meshes with gear 40.

Journaled within the plates 30, 41 and 29, close to the lower ends thereof, is a shaft 7 2 having film feeding sprockets 73 secured thereto and disposed in the same planes as are the sprockets 51, and 67, there being a gear 74 secured to the shaft 72 and meshing with gear 39. A frame 75 is pivotally supported adjacent each pair of sprockets 67 and 7 3 and has a shaft 76 extending laterally therefrom, and pressure rollers 77 are carried by each of the shafts 7 6 and are arranged to contact with the film at those points where it is engaged'by the sprockets 67 or 73. A spring 78 bears against each frame and serves to hold the rollers yieldingly in'engagement with the film and an arm 79 extends from each frame and constitutes means whereby the frame can be swung so as to shift the rollers out of contact with the film. A sheave 80 is secured to the shaft 72- at a point beyond one side of 9 the supporting and guiding structure and is adapted to be actuated by a belt or the like for the purpose of winding the film upon a spool connected to said shaft 72.

ft is to be understood that the shafts 50 and 54 may be mounted in adjustable bearings, oneof which has been illustrated in Fig. 2. This bearing consists of a cylindrical block 81 mounted for rotation and having an eccentric bore'82 in which the shaft is journaled, there being a kerf 83 within one end of theblock and by means of which it can be readily turned. As shown in Fig. 2 graduations may radiate from the opening in which the block 81 is mounted so as to indi ate the degree of adjustment. Obviously by utilizing these adjustable bearings, the two shafts 50 and 54 can be adjustedtoward'or away from each other to a minute extent for the purpose of taking up wear in the chain 57.' Various other shafts used in the machine can be similarly mounted.

An adjusting shaft 84 is journaled upon the front frame 3 of the machine and has gears 85 secured to it. These gears mesh with rack bars 86 secured to and extending upwardly from the plates 29 and 30.- An actuating lever 87 or the like is connected to the shaft 84 and by means thereof said shaft can be rotated and the racks 86 shifted longitudinally. It will be apparent, therefore, that when the shaft 84 is thus rotated. the mechanism of the machine can be shifted upwardly or downwardly so as to properly frame the film picture within the window 25 before the operation of the machine is begun.

Hinge members 88 are connected to the back edge of the plate 30 and are engaged by hinge members 89 extending laterally from one edge of a door 90. This door will of course move'with the plate 80 and it has an elongated opening 91 located directly back of the window 25, this opening being of such length as to permit movement of -the mechanism vertically'to either limit through, the opening 91.

Any suitable means may be employedfor' without shutting off the light supplied locking the door 90 in closed position. In the drawings two hooks 92 have been shown pivotally connected to door and adapted to move, by gravity, into engagement with notched lugs'98 projecting from the plate 29 and-through openings 9A within. the door. The two catches 92 are connected by a rod 95 pivotally attached to them, there being a head 96 at the upper end of the rod and by means of which the two catches can be readily lifted out of engagement with the lugs so as to permit the door to swing open.

Secured to the inner face of the door 90 and extending to oppositesides of'the opening 91, are parallel spring clamping strips 96the end portions of which are slidably connected .to the door by means of screws 97.

or the like, these screws projecting through slots 98 within the strips. The intermediate,

portion ofv each strip is straight and is spaced from the door by the end portions of the strip, this intermediate portion being adapted to bind uponone edge portion of a" film and 'hold it in conta'ct with the antifriction rollers 62 and between the guide ribs 63.

Secured within the upperportion of the door 90 are two guide tubes 99 and another similar pair of tubes 100 is secured to the lower portionof the door 90. Each tube has a stem 101 slidably mounted therein and surrounded by a spring 102 constituting means for pressing'the stem inwardly toward the film contained within the ma chine. One end of thespring bears upon a head 103 on the stem while the other end of the spring bears against a plug 104 threaded-within the sleeve and adapted to 'adapted to engage the be rotated by means of a head 105-. The stem 101 is slidably mounted within the plug and its-head. The heads 103 carried by the stems in each pair of sleeves 99 and 100 constitute bearings for a shaft 106 on which a frame 107 is mounted to rock, this frame carrying parallel shafts 108 onwhich rollers 109 are located. These rollers are adjacent film sprockets 55 and 51 and to hold the film firmly in engagement with said sprockets.

It will be apparent that when the door 90 is opened, these pressure rollers 109 will move away from the film'sprockets and the clamping strips 96 will also move away therefrom, thus permitting the film'to be readily placed in or removed from position on the sprockets. I

Guard plates 110 are arranged above and below the sprockets 55 and 51 respectively and constitute means for controlling the movement of the loose portions of the film located between the feed sprockets 67 and 73 and the sprockets 55 and 51.

-' A gear 111 is secured to the shaft ttl and meshes with a gear 112. This last men tioned gear is secured to a forwardly extending shaft 113 journaled in an ear 114 extend ing from the plate 41- and in an arm 115 extending through the slot- 26. This arm has a slot 116 extending longitudinally therein and which receives an angular stud 117 projecting from the plate 11 and engaged by a threaded nut 118 whereby the arm 115 can beclamped upon the plate 41.

The stud 117, however, cooperates with the walls of the slot 116 to prevent arm 115 from swinging relative-to the plate 11. A shutter 120 is secured to the shaft'113. A slot 122 is formed'in the base 1 and adapted to receive the film as it passes downwardly-from the machine.

' In the drawings the film has been shown at A and it is to be understood that by mounting the film operating mechanism in an open frame such as has been described, a film of any desired length can be used. In view of the mechanism which has been provided,fthetwo sets of feed sprockets 67 and 73 will operate in unison so as to move the film atthe same speed above and below the .sprockets 55 and .51 and as these last mentioned sprockets also move at the same speed,.it will be seen that that portion of seen that said machine will be held steadily at all times during its operation and another source of 'v-fl'ickering thus removed.

As has heretofore been pointed out, a picture on'the film can be readily framed within the window by bodily adjusting the film and its operatingmechanism vertically relative to the supporting structure, the

shaft 84 and the parts operated thereby, being provided for this purpose. The shutter will be moved with the operating mechanism during this adjustment. 3 mechanism has been adjusted in the manner described it can be securely held by tightening the screws 28. As the power transmitting. mechanism illustrated at 48 and 49 is located within a recess in the plate 30 and said recess is normally closed by means of the plate 53, it will be'apparent that said mechanism can be operated'in oil. It will be noted that the various parts of p the machine are so distributed that the center of gravity is along the longitudinal center of the machine, thus materially reducing the tendency of the machine to vibrate during its operation. c

Importance is attached to the face that, by providing the two sets of sprockets 51 and 55 the film can be moved either forward or backward with equal facility and without danger of buckling or otherwise in juring the film, it being apparent that that portion of thefilm between the two sets of sprockets will be maintained constantly taut no matter'in which direction the film may be moving.

As light can pnly enter the housing 24 at the'exposure window, it will be apparent,

that there can be no interference, by sidelights, with the light rays passing to the lens and, therefore, the brilliancy of the picture is maintained at the maximum. The' particular construction and arrangement of the housing'also permits the use of lenses of the shortest focus as there is nothing to interfere with them.

What is claimed is:

40 l. A machine of the class described including a combined guide and supporting structure, a housing connected to the structure and having an exposure window therein, film guide rollers connected to said edge portion of a film upon the rollers.

2. In a machine of the class described the combination with a' supporting structure.

having an exposure window,of anti-friction devices connected to the structure and adjacent the window, means for holding the edge portion of a film upon said devices, and fixed guide devices for holding the film against lateral movement while passing the window.

3. A machine of the class described including a supp'ortingstructu're having a window, parallel guide strips connected to the structure and arranged at opposite sides of the window, outstanding guide ribs upon the strips for holdinga film against lateral movement, anti-friction devices carried by said strips, and means for yieldingly clamping the edge portions of a film upon said anti-frictiondevices and holding them between the ribs.

After the structure, guide strips connected to the suphousing, means for yieldingly pressing the' 4. In a machine of the class described, a supporting structure having a window, a structure mounted on the supporting structure, a backing plate carried by the second porting structure and lapping the backing plate, anti-friction devices carried by the guide strips, and yielding means for clamping the edge portions of a film upon said antifriction devices, said backin plate having an elongated slot through which the window is constantly exposed.

v 5. A machine of the class described including a fixed supporting structure, a sec ond structure carried thereby, said fixed structure having a window, anti-friction devices arranged adjacent opposite sides of the window, means for holding a film against lateral movement upon said devices, an apertured door moyably connected to said second structure, and yielding means carried by the door for pressing the edge portions of a film upon the anti-friction devices.

' ,6, A' machine of the class described including a fixed structure havingv a window, a second structure supported by the fixed structure, film sprockets car ried by said second structure above and below the Window, adoor back of the window, means upon. the fixed structure and adjacent opposite sides of the window for guiding a film, means upon the door and cooperating with said guiding means for holding the film against vibration while passing the window when the door is closed, and means separate from the film for positively rotating the sprockets in the same direction and at the same speed.

7. A machine of the class described including a supporting structure having a p window, a second structure carried by the first mentioned structure, film engaging sprocketscarried by said second structure andadjacent opposite portions of the window, means for positively rota-ting'said sprockets in the same direction and at the same speed, a door back of the window for giving access to the film and sprockets and spring controlled pressing devices carried by the door and mounted for rocking movement, said devices straddling the sprockets, and movable with the'door into and out of active position. Y

8. A machine of the class described including a structure having a window, a secend structure, film' engaging sprockets carriedby said second structure and adjacent 'opposite portions of the window, a door back of thewindow and giving access to the film and sprockets, means interposed be- 12.5 tween the sprocket-s for holding the film against vibration while passing the opening, a portion of said means being carried by the door, and adjustable-spring controlled pressing elements carried by the door and mount- 13c ed for rocking movement and straddling the sprockets, said elements constituting means for holding the film in engagement with the sprockets while the door is shut and releasing the film When the door is opened.

9. In a machine of the class described a fixed structure having anopening, a second structure carried thereby, and including a door back of the opening, film carrying and operating mechanism upon said second structure, and film gulding means connected to one of the structures, and a second film guiding means upon the door and cooperating with the other means when the-door is shut for holding against vibration that portion of the film extending across the opening.

10. In a machine of the class described,

film sprockets, means for rotating said sprockets in unison, a structure having a window between the sprockets, frames adjacent the sprockets, anti-friction devices j'ournaled within the frames and spring controlled structuresw pivotallyf engaged by the frames for holding said devices pressed yieldingly against the marginal portions of a film on the sprockets.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as'my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER P. M. DAVIS.

' WVitne'sses: I

LUCIEN EL PAYNE, J OHN C. MoKiNNEY. 

